1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadcast routing method in an Ad-hoc network, more particularly, to a method for selecting a broadcast routing path using a genetic algorithm in an Ad-hoc network, which can minimize the number of relay nodes and total power consumption in order for efficient data transmission in the Ad-hoc network.
2. Description of the Related Art
An Ad-hoc network is an infrastructure-free network that is configured freely by nodes. The Ad-hoc network does not require the infrastructure such as a base station or an access point for network configuration and maintenance. Ad-hoc nodes communicate one another through a wireless interface and can overcome limitation of communication distance of the wireless interface by using a multihop routing function. Also, because the Ad-hoc nodes can freely move, a network topology changes dynamically. Such an Ad-hoc network may be fully independent and may interface with an infrastructure network, such as Internet, through an Internet gateway. The Ad-hoc network can be applied to emergency rescue, urgent conference, military network, and so on.
In the Ad-hoc network in which different nodes communicate one another through a wireless link while moving freely, the nodes serve as a transmitter and a receiver. Therefore, an essential problem is how to perform a routing and a scheduling.
Because the link in the Ad-hoc network is wireless, one node can send a message to all neighbor nodes through one-time transmission. By using this characteristic in the broadcast, resource utilization efficiency can be improved. It can be realized by connecting all nodes of the network to the source node through a relay node. Therefore, a broadcast routing tree configuration is important for the efficient data transfer in the Ad-hoc network.
To solve the above-described problems, there is a demand for a broadcast routing method that can minimize network resource utilization in the Ad-hoc network. Many efforts have been made to solve the problems.
Conventional routing methods of an Ad-hoc network are disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2005-00007802 entitled “VIRTUAL LINK COST ROUTING TECHNOLOGY IN MOBILE AD-HOC NETWORKS” and Korean Patent Application No. 2004-00004953 entitled “APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DATA TRANSMISSION PATH SETTING IN AD-HOC NETWORK.” The former discloses an energy-based packet routing method for expanding an operating time of a mobile Ad-hoc network, and the latter discloses a method for setting a path having a minimum error in order for shortening a data transmission path. The two patent applications, however, do not teach a broadcast routing method for minimizing the number of relay nodes and total power consumption in order to efficiently use the resources during the broadcast routing in the Ad-hoc network.